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Minneapolis Net Zero House
Not many people have the opportunity to build their own homes, much less a second one. The magic happened for homeowners Mark and Kate Hanson when they were able to take what they learned from their first home building experience, and apply it to their next home. According to Mark Hanson, "Regardless of your focus on the environment, a Net Zero house is more comfortable, healthier, and easier to live in."
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When the Hanson's built their first home in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, back in 2006, they were not trying to get to Net-Zero. The concept had hardly been on anyone's radar over a decade ago. But they wanted it to be as energy-efficient as possible. So, they installed spray foam insulation, geothermal, and solar panels. "It was basically like taping energy efficiency post-it notes onto a house," says Mark.
The problem was that their builders did not look at the home and site holistically, missing opportunities that would have made the home more functional. As they discovered after living in it, it was a much bigger house than two people needed. They also had a long commute to and from work each day.
It's All About Setting Goals
The primary goal for the Hansons was to have a truly Net Zero energy home, but it didn't stop there. They wanted the house to be Net Zero, including the ability to charge their two electric vehicles, their electric lawnmower and snowblower.
Energy Saving Products for the Home
Shop home improvement products that help save and conserve energy (power) in your home.
Stiebel Eltron Accelera 220 E Heat Pump Water Heater
QuickBOLT QB2 with Microflashing Multi Roof Mount Solar Panel Fastener Kit
Stiebel Eltron CON 300-2 Premium Wall-Mounted Convection Heater - 202030
Emporia Pro Level 2 48 AMP EV Charger UL Listed
To meet their stormwater management goal, the egress windows in the basement have large window wells, with boulders as a retaining wall, and native plants for soaking up runoff water. The large basement windows also let in light and warmth from the southern sun in the winter.
The bigger component, though, is the rain garden swale on their property. With the help of the city, they were allowed a few curb cuts to let stormwater from the street run onto their property. The small bit of grass that they do have is tall fescue, a species of turf that does not have to be mowed or watered as much as conventional turfgrass.
Building on Kate's training in holistic health, they designed a beautiful meditation circle in the back yard.
Costs and Benefits
The cost of creating a healthy, Net Zero, or in their case, net negative energy home has come down. The Hansons estimate they paid about 15 percent more for their home than one built to code, but that the incremental costs could quickly be recouped through lower operating costs. Their electricity is free.
In addition to lower operating costs, they get to live with less maintenance. LED lights mean they never have to change a light bulb. No gas appliances mean no pilot light to fix and cleaner indoor air. Healthier indoor air means air filters do not need to be changed as frequently. And ground source heat pumps mean no outside air conditioner to cleanout.
They seem to have gotten everything right this time. So much so, that Mark started a blog to share his knowledge and show that it is not so hard.
The Coolest Car on the Planet
We would shortchange our readers, though, without covering one of the coolest things on earth right now: Mark's Tesla.
The backstory: Ed Hawkins, a professor in the United Kingdom, wanted to help people visualize global warming. So, he figured out a way to graphically represent the changes in global temperatures over time. Accomplished by using stripes, each year has its own stripe. Blue is colder than average, and red is warmer. Mark spotted this artistic rendering of global warming from a news article that showed a group of meteorologists wearing ties that sported these stripes. That gave him an idea: could his Tesla have those same stripes? He called up the professor to make sure it was okay with him, called the car shop to see if they could do it, and…voila, an electric vehicle that speaks volumes.
The Cool Factor x Two
But the real treasure here is priceless: this home serves its community in two ways:
- It produces clean, renewable energy from the sun. It often provides more than what the Hansons need, so they return it to the grid and let the neighborhood benefit.
- It manages all of the stormwater that runs off the roof and hardscapes on site. Due to the curb cuts, it manages more than what their site produces, providing a service to the neighborhood and surrounding communities.
Who would ever have thought that a home, through its very design and construction, could be of service to its neighbors? Thank you, Kate and Mark Hanson, for your generosity—that kind of thinking is truly inspirational!
Melissa Rappaport Schifman
Melissa became the Twin Cities’ fifth LEED for Homes Accredited Professional (LEED AP) and completed the work necessary to get her own home LEED Gold Certified, the basis for her book, Building a Sustainable Home: Practical Green Design Choices for Your Health, Wealth, and Soul, (Skyhorse Publishing, August, 2018). With her corporate experience in finance, marketing, and business development, and an MBA and Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Melissa has been providing sustainability advisory services to businesses, governmental agencies and non-profits, focusing on strategic and operational change that provide bottom-line financial returns. She has led the LEED certification of two million square feet of commercial buildings, written GRI-compliant Corporate Sustainability Reports, is a LEED Pro Reviewer and LEED mentor with the U.S. Green Building Council. She is the founder of Green Intention LLC where she writes about sustainable home living.
